Written by: Alice Little Caldwell
We reached the Grand Canyon on Thursday and got the tents set up before a light rain started . . . and stopped. The weather improved and we watched the sunset over the Grand Canyon- a magnificent sight. Friday arrived, and the Bike Adventure team had a day off. Some chose to rest and recuperate while others set out on a different kind of adventure – to explore the Grand Canyon.
Led by our fearless leader, Joel, we set out at 4:30 a.m. to catch the sunrise over the Grand Canyon at Yavapai Point. Like all good early risers, we needed our coffee. We tested our leader’s patience by stopping to wait for the Visitor Center coffee shop to open at 6:00 a.m. Did someone say something about herding cats? An early morning hike always goes better with a latte on board.
We took a second tram ride to the Kaibab Trail, a three-mile down-the-canyon walk to Skeleton Point, with excellent views of the canyon and a view of the mighty Colorado River. It took us 2.5 hours to go down due to the many fantastic photo opportunities, including the Ooh-Aah Point and Cedar Ridge. Little did we know that Carlos, the Fleet Footed one, was making his way down to the river on the Bright Angel path to touch his toes in the water.
After a short rest at the point, we were motivated to climb up by the intensifying heat, vanishing water supplies, and hunger. Our intrepid interns, Courtney and Katelynn, made the trek and showed off their hiking skills. We scattered after lunch and explored, rested, and got ready for our Saturday ride to Flagstaff.
